So She Dances
by SnowyMary
Summary: The night before Peggy pours Steve's blood in the water, Daniel sees her at the Stork Club. He remembers this after the S2 finale.


A/N: This takes place the night before the Brooklyn Bridge scene in Valediction. I imagine it took Peggy some days to figure out what to do with Steve's blood. Prompt: So She Dances by Josh Groban.  
Shout-out for my awsome betas thecoldestginger and coala-cubed.

So She Dances

Daniel was just about to call it a night. He had already said his goodbyes to Thompson and Fisher and moved awkwardly through the tightly packed club. Groups of guests surrounded the full dance floor. As midnight drew near, the band had changed the music to a slow waltz, therefore even the most unskilled dancers tried to get one last dance with their partners. Scanning the walls for enough space to walk with his crutch, Daniel's eyes caught a glimpse of bright red by the window; she was almost invisible in the shadows, he would have missed her, had it not been for the light of a passing car illuminating her crimson dress.  
He stopped for a moment and watched. There was something graceful and melancholy about the figure swaying all by herself in the corner of the club, her gaze fixed somewhere on the night sky. Now that the car was gone, he could only discern her silhouette moving with the slow rythm and he wondered how far her mind was travelling.  
The couple in front of him shuffled closer to the band, giving Daniel enough space to move in her direction. A waiter brushed by the tables near the window and when the woman turned her head a bit Daniel almost cursed at the sight of the familiar profile.

He hadn't seen Peggy since she stopped by the Agency a few days ago to inform Thompson that she would return to work with the SSR. Daniel hadn't expected to see her again until Monday.  
But there she was, stunning in that gorgeous red dress, an almost empty whiskey glass in one hand. Seemingly lost in the quiet music that drifted from the crowded floor and oblivious to the living world around her. Daniel knew it was time to go on to the door but instead took another step her way. Even though Peggy was upright, something about her looked broken and Daniel was angry at himself for knowing her well enough to notice it. He had seen glimpses of this only a few times before, and the first had been the moment when he had walked into her in the storage room.  
What a fool he had been for asking her out after the Stark case. She was so far out of his reach, he doubted even his crutch made a difference. But still, Peggy was the best thing about most of his days and it hurt him deeper than it should seeing the tracks of tears on her face without being able to do something about it.  
That was the moment Daniel realized he was looking right into her eyes.

She didn't move, just stared at him. Frozen as if he had caught her doing something forbidden. He had no excuse or any clue what to say but slowly stumbled over to where she stood, never breaking the eye contact. Standing right in front of Peggy, Daniel still tried to figure out what to do – he wanted nothing more than to take her pain away, although he knew this was far beyond his abilities.  
Peggy downed the last of her whiskey. She looked as unsure how to get a grip of the situation as he did. Slowly he extended his free hand.

"I – I'm sorry, I don't – " She sounded almost panicked, looking for a way out. Daniel smiled gently.  
"No, no. My dancing days a long over, too. But if you give me your glass I could get you a refill – or maybe some water."  
She blinked for a moment, then handed him the tumbler visibly relieved. "Water would be nice." When he returned, she mumbled her thanks and seemed eternally grateful that he didn't ask anything else but simply assured her that their meeting would stay between them.

That night when Daniel closed his eyes, he saw her next to that dance floor again. Her eyes scanned the crowd and lit up when they found him. He didn't need his crutch anymore, instead, they met under the spotlights in front of the stage and together they easily waltzed with all the other couples. Smiling, he spun her around, drawing them even closer when she turned back to him. Peggy was so near, their noses could have touched. Her eyes flickered to his lips. Would he dare to lean in?

He woke with a start, yet the images refused to leave his head. Falling asleep again wasn't an option. What if the dream continued? If he got deeper into this mess, he would finally reach a point where he just hurt himself. Grudgingly, he pushed back his blanket and lifted himself out of bed. According to the clock on his nightstand, it was little after five; way too early to turn up at the office on a Sunday. In an effort to distract himself, Daniel sorted through the small heap of paper that almost obscured the clock face and cluttered his bedside table. One letter with an eagle printed on its front lingered in his hands. It had been delivered to him two days ago, but he had wanted to contemplate it thoroughly before answering. Maybe this night was his final hint, maybe moving out west wasn't such a bad idea after all.

One year later

Daniel woke up to the warm California sun shining through the window and the smell of burned toast. Smiling, he stayed wrapped in his sheets for a few more minutes before getting up and ready for work. He granted himself a late start – after all, it was Sunday morning and though they had a case it wasn't as time sensitive as most.  
Peggy had stayed over. Already the second time this week. It was simply easier to take Daniel's car back to his place after a long evening searching for evidence than to ring up Jarvis in the middle of the night or offending him by calling a cab. At least that was what they told themselves and everybody else who noticed them leaving and arriving together – namely Rose. Not that Rose was one to judge, especially after she had won the small but very respectable office pool because of them.  
By the time Daniel entered the kitchen, Peggy had already a pile of files open on the table with a steaming cup of tea and a notepad beside them. The agent herself was over at the front window, looking ready to drive to work except for the dressing gown wrapped around her. She didn't seem to have noticed him yet as she kept watching the palm leaves blowing gently in the breeze, smiling to herself and swaying to the music from the radio. It was such a different sight from the last time, that night a year ago in New York.  
Daniel knew it was risky, but so far 'daring' had worked so much better for them than 'playing it safe and socially acceptable'. Therefore, he rested his crutch against the counter, limped over to her and reached out his hand.  
"May I have this dance?" Surprised, she spun around, a quizzical look on her face but not dismayed.  
"Are you sure? I mean, you said- "  
"Just because my feet aren't much into dancing anymore doesn't mean I've forgotten how to lead." The smile returned to her face, even bigger than before, when she placed her hand in his.  
Yes, LA had definitely been a good idea.


End file.
